


Light Up the Sky

by nerav



Category: THE iDOLM@STER, THE iDOLM@STER: SideM
Genre: Christmas, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-28 00:52:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17172731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerav/pseuds/nerav
Summary: Even Kaoru can feel the Christmas spirit at times. Especially with her. (Giftfic for a friend)





	Light Up the Sky

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was written pretty fast to cheer a certain KaoruP up for Christmas, but I thought to post here for any other Ps to indulge! Again, usually my Producer is imagined as ishiP, but for this occasion, it’s a little yumejo fantasy with a female producer (who just so happens matches me friend—*shot*)
> 
> It was a very-last minute gift however, so my writing isn’t the best at all but I hope it’s doable.

The producer searched endlessly for their rendezvous point. The place was further away from the bustling, crowded streets, and somewhere she wasn’t familiar with. She kept raising her wrist, taking a quick shot at her watch. She was running late, and the longer it took to find him, the more fearful she felt.

At last, she caught sight of the bold navy blue color of his coat. “Sakuraba- _san_!” She exclaimed, rushing faster as she approached. Quickly, the relief was overwashed by overexertion. She lowered down and grasped her knees, panting heavily. “Forgive me for being so late…!”

Kaoru crossed his arms. “It’s rather unprofessional of you to constantly arrive late, Producer.”

“I’m sorry! The traffic was much heavier than I anticipated!”

“That’s no excuse.” He lowered his arms, sighing heavily. “But I suppose that is what makes you unique, Producer.”

She rose up in alarm. She had expected a stern, stone face. Instead, he looked calm and unnerved by her tardiness.

He moved in closer. She nearly flinched back, but was quickly caught off-guard as he grasped at her wooly scarf. During her run, her scarf was tangled and in disarray. He slowly unraveled and fixed it.

“There,” he said, very plainly over his kind gesture. “Your scarf was nearly falling off from your little run there.”

Her cheeks burned. “Oh… Thank you, Sakuraba- _san_.”

“There is no need to thank me,” he said, in his usual downplay. “I’m just correcting your appearance.”

“You know better than anyone how important first impressions are, I suppose,” she laughed.

“Perhaps.”

She took a quick survey of the area around her. “Why did you want to meet here, anyway?”

Kaoru was quiet for a moment. “The cities are quite noisy around this time. I wanted to get away from all those potential health hazards. It’s much easier to enjoy the lights from here.”

“You’re right… You can see the winter illuminations perfectly from here even!”

“I suppose that is an added perk too,” he said in a faint voice.

“Thank you for inviting me here! You really are so smart, Sakuraba- _san_.”

“I-It’s nothing,” he mumbled. His eyes noted behind her. “Come. Let’s sit at the bench beside that Christmas tree there. I heard the sights are best viewed from there.”

She nodded slowly, slightly bewildered by his odd way of dancing around typically-romantic gestures. She moved back and sat down at the bench, directly at the center. Kaoru joined beside her.

For a moment, neither of them said anything. Kaoru looked awkward whenever he wanted to speak, whereas the producer’s gaze was held at the gorgeous horizon that he gave her. She had assumed their whole time would be merely sight-seeing, until Kaoru broke away for a moment and reached into his coat.

“Here,” he said, pupils shifting the side. He held a small box, wrapped in perfect and neat packaging, with blue paper. Octopuses decorated each side, a little nod to her own name, she gathered. “It’s just a little gift… as appreciation for your hard work at 315Pro.”  
  
“Thank you,” she murmured, slowly accepting the small offering.

She unraveled its perfect wrapping, ripping carefully as to not accidentally tear what lurked within. When she finished, she examined its contents: it was a tea box. Not just any tea, but it looked like expensive, imported tea, coming from lavish companies.

“Don’t think too much over it,” Karou explained quickly, “I only noticed your health taking a toll from all your workload lately. I figured you need some herbal remedies in your poor diet, especially with the cold lately.”

Though his words were cold, her heart only felt warmer. Even though he was downplaying the gift, she knew the thoughtful intentions behind it—being a doctor, after all—as well as the price he paid for what he considered just a “simple” gift.

Karou’s burning cheeks also betrayed him. Averting his gaze from her, he mumbled, “And… I heard it’s good for skincare, supposedly. I don’t know skincare very well, so it’s the only thing I could think of to find for you.”

“This is more than enough,” she said, shaking her head. She beamed. “Thank you so much, Sakuraba- _san_.”

Karou said nothing. His face nearly clenched, as if he was holding back on reacting with some stronger emotion. Still faced away, his eyes quickly caught sight of a convenient distraction. He looked up and gazed at the sky.

She followed his gaze. Snowflakes danced in the air, approaching ground in a soothing, slow pace. Its clear white patterns further complimented the winter illuminations from the distance. Despite the falling slow, the skies were as clear as day, with the stars twinkling from afar. It truly felt like a Winter Wonderland.

“It’s so pretty,” she gasped.

“Yes,” Karou murmured.

For a brief moment, Kaoru’s guard was completely lowered. His stern face quickly softened, with a small smile furthering the image. It was a familiar expression, and one she knew Karou always tried to hide.

Out of the blue, he hummed a tune. The melody was reminiscent to “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”.

“Sakuraba- _san_ ….”

“Forgive me,” he quickly said, still maintaining his smile. “I just felt nostalgic all of a sudden….”

“What made you sing that?”

“I—”

He pursed his lips as soon as he started. She assumed he didn’t want to say, which was perfectly fine to her. Perhaps it was prying too much.

To her surprise, he continued once more. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen such a beautiful sky. Usually, ever since... Well, anyway, I had been spending Christmas alone… This is the first time in a while I have someone beside me, seeing the sights with me. I never realized how good it felt, until now….”

She smiled warmly once more. Rather than comment further, she let his actions speak her gratitude. She sided over the bench closer to him. With a light sigh, she pressed her head on his shoulder, sneaking a hand at his pockets to grasp his gloved fingertips. From just the short distance she can smell his cologne, feel his body heat, and heard his heart beating. In retrospect, it was a bold move on her part; and yet, she was far too comfortable to budge.

“I’m glad to spend Christmas with you, Sakuraba- _san_ ,” she said, closing her eyes. “It’s the best gift I’ve ever gotten. Thank you for making it magical.”

Kaoru didn’t retort. After a few seconds, he mirrored her, resting his head over hers.

They spent the rest of the quiet, cold evening in their each other’s warm embrace.


End file.
